


Against All Odds

by AssyPiff



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29106831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AssyPiff/pseuds/AssyPiff
Summary: Based on Season 3 Katie Harford is a new ambitious detective constable in the Broadchurch CID just as a major sexual assault case comes to light. Having been fast tracked and given every encouragement by CS Jenkinson, she is determined to impress her new boss, the infamously irascible Scot DI Alec Hardy. We see the events of Season 3 through her eyes, her attempts to make her mark and her gradual understanding of the incredible partnership Hardy has with DS Ellie Miller.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller, Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Comments: 27
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for your continued support. Comments very much welcomed.

DC Harford was not having a good day. The start of her second week in her new job and she was not making the impact she hhoped. Her fast -track into CID by CS Jenkinson had led her to think she would at least be useful in between her schedule of training courses, but as things were going she couldn't even make the tea right. 

Standing next to the sink in the CID break room in Broadchurch police station, she let out a heavy sigh as she waited for the kettle to boil.

"Having a bad day?" Brian Young from SOCO stood behind her queuing for the kettle  
.  
" Yes...no! How long does it take to fit in here? " she resolutely kept her eyes on the kettle, holding her mug slightly more tightly than was necessary.

" On the wrong side of Shitface already are you?" Brian laughed, amused that the new recruit was clearly upset by DI Hardy.

"Apparently I can't make tea now. He took one sip and said, "I can't drink that", and waved me away. I was only trying to be nice!"

Brain laughed some more. "Hardy doesn't do nice. And what were you thinking of making him tea? Sucking up to the boss are you?"

" No, I... "

"There's only one person he's nice to...and it won't be you I'm afraid...hello Ellie, just saying to Katie here that you're the only one who makes tea for Shitface."

Ellie Miller, Detective Sergeant Miller, smiled at Brian but it didn't quite reach her eyes.. She had finally broken away from the paperwork piling high on her desk to make herself and Hardy a much needed cuppa.

"You're still calling him that are you? Not thought of anything more original after all this time? " Although her words were playful, there was a hint of annoyance behind them.

Brian and Katie both stood back to allow Ellie to make two mugs of tea, squeezing the tea bags viciously with a spoon and sploshing milk into the cups carelessly. She gave them a brief warning look as she left, knowing they were gossiping and somehow vexed that Brian wouldn't let that nickname go, despite the fact that Hardy looked so much better on his return.

"After all this time?" Katie asked quietly as soon as Ellie was out of the door. " I thought he was new too? "

"Oh, we've had Shitface before, back during the Latimer case, three years ago now. "

"Really? Why's he back then?" Katie had of course heard about the Latimer case but knew that pleading ignorance often led people to telling you more.

"Ah, well..." Brian tapped his nose with his forefinger, he was about to reply when he was interrupted by a clearly annoyed DS Miller.

"When you've finished gossiping Katie, I need you to take a look at this.' Ellie waved a file in front of her indicating that Katie should take it and follow her back to the bullpen.  
Katie shrugged and followed Ellie back to her desk. 

" You'd do well not to take too much notice of Brian, " she remarked, glancing to where Hardy was sitting at his desk sipping a presumably acceptable mug of tea that she had made for him.

"Right..." Harford replied whilst thinking that she really needed to get much more from Brian as he clearly knew more than he was saying.

The following day, the CID office was a calm before the upcoming storm of a serious case, Hardy and Miller had been called out on a late shout the night before. The team were about to be briefed on a new case, Katie and a couple of other DC's Mike and Steve were sat waiting for Hardy and Miller to arrive.

"What were they still doing here at gone ten?" Katie asked Steve a thirty-something DC who had been at Broadchurch CID for five years or so. 

Steve grinned, " Paperwork, takeaway, not unusual for them. Hardy was SIO on call last night. " He shrugged as if Hardy and Miller still being together well into the evening when there were no pressing active cases was no news at all.

Katie raised her eyebrows, everyone else had knocked off at six, with only routine cases ongoing, the rest of the detectives took advantage to get home on time for once. Katie had made sure she was not the first out of the door, but pretty close, she had had enough for one day. She had abandoned her attempt to get on Hardy's good side for the day and had just hung around hoping that Hardy would call on her...but all there was was the occasional shout of "Miller!" , to which there was a shrug from Ellie in response and a "Yes Sir?" to cover the few steps to his office. 

The seeming ease Ellie Miller had with DI Hardy was something Katie envied, oblivious to everything that had gone before which knocked off the rough edges of their relationship and allowed them know to work with ease together. Katie had never been a quitter and so she prepared herself to impress everyone, (and by that she meant Hardy), with her insights in the forthcoming briefing. 

"Where are they?" Katie nodded towards Hardy's office at a still waiting Steve. 

" They went straight to the crime scene after dropping the victim home. "

"So they never sleep?" Katie was incredulous. For Hardy and Miller to pull an all-nighter didn't seem right, but she stayed silent.

Hardy and Miller arrived into CID not very long after this, Katie sat poised with her notebook, very much the class swot, all attention and metaphorical sharpened pencil.

Hardy started speaking, giving the details of the attack on Trish Winterman at Axehampton House on Saturday night.

"Wait! When did she report this? " Here was Katie's opportunity right there!

"Last night."

"But the attack happened on Saturday night? Bit of a gap. Are we sure she's genuine? " pleased with herself at pointing out the glaring hole in the allegation, Katie was not prepared for the barely concealed hostility from Ellie.

She did not need reminding that she had not completed her sexual offenses training, nor did the other detectives in the team, in Katie's opinion. Bloody hell! 

"Alright you're new, we forgive you!" 

We! We??? So she's speaking for Hardy now is she? And she knew for certain that if anyone else had taken a call in the middle of a briefing, Hardy would have had a lot to say about it. Instead he paused and waited for Ellie to answer her phone and explode into it... "Yes this is Mrs Miller...What?!"

With a silent exchange of looks with Hardy, Ellie rushed off, leaving Hardy to reiterate the importance of secrecy at this early stage of the investigation.

"Well that could have gone better," Steve remarked to Katie once Hardy had retreated to his office, nodding towards their boss.

"Just wanted to get all the facts, " she sighed, knowing that Steve was right. She had managed to get Ellie's back up and look a fool in front of Hardy.

"What was that all about with Ellie? None of us would be allowed to take a call like that." If Katie hadn't already begun to see how the land lies in this department, she was beginning to.

" Probably to do with one of her boys. Hardy cuts her some slack, what with her husband out of the picture. " Steve lowered his voice, " Don't get on the wrong side of Ellie, she's had a lot to deal with, you think Hardy is a hard-arse... " 

Katie let out a long sigh, "I can't seem to do anything right," dismissing her colleague's advice and failing to understand anything about the daily difficulties Ellie had raising her two boys and not only holding down but succeeding in a high pressured job.

"Ever think you might be trying too hard? " Steve liked Katie despite the fact she was too keen and too naive.

" Best way to not get on his wrong side is to keep your head down, do your job and don't try and get in between those two, " he nodded towards Hardy again, who was studying his phone and smiling lightly, " they're a well oiled machine. " He paused thoughtfully, "after all the pain they've shared, I don't think anyone will really understand them better than they do each other."

Steve walked off to his own desk leaving a thoughtful Katie to glance into Hardy's office, observing him on the phone, irritated and impatient as always, all the more determined to impress him, whilst giving little sympathy to their latest victim.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode 2. The enquiry into Trish Winterman's sexual assault picks up speed. Katie Harford's day goes from bad to worse.

Just the memory of your face

It was a long held custom that when someone in CID needed a breather on their own they would go out onto the first floor balcony which encircled their floor of the Broadchurch Police building. Everyone accepted their colleagues' need for a few minutes of solitude to gather their thoughts when something about a case got to them or they needed to clear their head after hours of looking at the same evidence searching for missing clues. This was where Steve found Katie Harford after the Gold meeting. He had seen her slip wordlessly away after Hardy & Ellie had left to visit Humphries Nets. He left her for ten minutes and then took her a mug of tea.

"Alright?" He asked her, handing her the hot Wessex Police mug.

Katie's attention was focussed on a spot by the harbour wall where DI Hardy & DS Miller were having a heated discussion. Hardy said something sharply to Ellie and leant in slightly towards her before walking away. The observers on the balcony couldn't hear what from that distance, but they saw her take a deep breath, give him a long stare and then nod to his retreating back as if silently acknowledging that she accepted what he'd said but not wanting to admit it to him.

Steve grinned, "Time was she would have gone toe to toe with our esteemed DI, " he chuckled in remembrance of their huge arguments of the past, " this is just a minor skirmish. They'll have forgotten about this is ten minutes."

"How come she gets away with interrupting him and arguing with him? " she is genuinely baffled as she sees them get into Ellie's car and drive off. 

"They 're partners. And she's earned that," Steve said simply.

Katie had managed to mishandle herself in a meeting for the second day running. She had very soon become irritated with Ellie being front and centre with Hardy, even though she had made sure to arrive early so as to get a good position. Ellie had walked straight past them all to stand next to Hardy, interrupting him and adding her own information to brief their colleagues. They were a regular double act. It would be funny if it wasn't so bloody annoying!

It had begun well enough with Hardy assigning her the responsibility of co-ordinating the interviewing of Cath Atwood's party guests, and in hindsight that was where Katie recognised she should have left it. It was going to be a huge task as it was, but no she couldn't shake off her growing irritation with Ellie. 

"Actually if you look on the map, Axehampton is a hamlet not a village!" Katie cringed as she recalled Ellie's expression at being corrected by a junior in the department and at a Gold Meeting at that. The look she exchanged with Hardy spoke volumes without saying a word. Hardy raising his eyebrows a fraction acknowledging the palpable tension between the two women.

" Thanks for that! " Ellie Miller did not bother to hide her feelings.

Steve broke into Katie's thoughts by remarking mildly, "Did you know that Ellie has been up since the crack of dawn walking the grounds at Axehampton? " 

"What? No....I?" No wonder she was so angry at being corrected by a junior who had only looked at a map. 

" Hmmm, her and Hardy were out there early, Soco Brian says Hardy was out there at seven am with a takeaway tea for Ellie, and she had been there a whole hour before him. " He looked sideways at her, "I 'm not one to give out free advice, but you might want to reign it in. Meetings are not just run for your benefit, you need to give us all a chance at asking questions if we need to? "

Katie groaned, she had been so consumed by her irritation, and let's face it jealousy of Ellie Miller, she had not realised until now she had overstepped with the rest of the team as well.

"Do you all hate me as much as Ellie and Hardy do?"

Steve laughed, "She doesn't hate you and as for Hardy, he barely knows you exist. Just do your job, he'll only notice you if you don't. " He left Katie outside to finish her tea and consider how she could possibly make up for her mistakes made so early in the day. 

After a few more minutes of contemplation, Katie decided that if the only way of getting Hardy to notice her was to work harder and be more efficient than Ellie bloody Miller, then so be it.

Hardy and Miller were out of the CID office for the rest of the morning and the best part of the afternoon. This allowed Katie to recover herself and concentrate on her assigned tasks. First she had phoned Soco Brian about the condom wrapper found at the scene which she had be told to follow up on.

"Hello Brian, it's Katie Harford. How are you doing? Getting anywhere?"

" I tell you Katie this is a massive scene, we'll be here for a while yet. What can I do for you? "

"I've been assigned the condom wrapper to track down. Could you send me the details?"

" You could have emailed me that request." Brian remarked flatly.

"I could, but how long would it have taken you to see my email?" 

" Oh right you are! Hardy cracking the whip is he? " he laughed.

" I just need to get ahead on this one, " Katie replied with a sigh.

"I wouldn't worry too much about Hardy, he 's gone soft these days," again Brian laughed , " I got an apology out of him yesterday. Bloody incredible...mind you Ellie made him. "

"She made him?" Katie could only half believe him.

" As true as I'm standing here. And today he 's bringing her a hot drink in when he arrived. I tell you Ellie's taming him. You never know he might actually be a half decent human being by the time she's finished with him! I will always remember the look on their faces. " He chuckled again.

"Tell me something Brian, why does he still call her Miller?" 

" Ah now, that's a conversation for another time over a pint... " 

"Just send me the details would you so I can get on?" Katie wasn't particularly interested in drinking with Soco Brian but she might just have to if she wanted to know the answer to that.

" Will do. " Brian rang off allowing Katie to remind herself to give what he said about her boss some thought when she had time. Right now she had to get on with the Press Statement about the sexual assault, which she wanted to get done and approved before they returned, determined as she was to be as efficient as possible so that Hardy would notice her. Right now she would settle for him not berating her in front of the whole team every day.

A while later Hardy and Ellie swept into the office, making straight for his office, giving Katie no attention. Katie coughed slightly to get Hardy's attention. 

"The Press Statement is approved," she told him brightly, " just waiting on your say so to release. " She looked at him pointedly for approval, it was his approval alone to give, not Ellie's.

"OK, send it out, " Hardy's whole demeanour was weary, sharing a look with Ellie before they disappeared into his office without another word to her. The hopeful little smile Katie wore turned to one of disappointment as she turned back to her computer to carry on with her research into the local stockists of the condom wrapper. At least this time neither of her senior colleagues had told her off, which, she told herself was at least something.

"This is a list of everyone at the party," Ellie was back at her desk opposite Katie's and handing her a sheaf of papers, " Can you put together addresses and profiles? And we need to take a DNA sample from everyone . " Ellie was back to her professional self.

"Sure, shouldn't take long." Katie again trying to prove her efficiency but to Ellie this time.

"Well I want it done it done thoroughly." Something about Katie's tone clearly set Ellie on edge .

"I wasn't planning on doing it shitly."How bloody dare her! 

The long look Ellie gave her was nothing to the telling off she would have received had Hardy not at that moment emerged from his office with his customary call of, "Miller! Trish is here for interview"

"Thank you Katie." The two women shared an insincere smile as Ellie rose from her desk to follow their boss to the interview room where Trish Winterman and her ISVA Beth Latimer had been waiting for a few minutes.

" God she really sets my teeth on edge! " Ellie informed Hardy as they walked away, not lowering her voice so was heard clearly by Katie sat a few feet away, pretending not to hear through clenched teeth. They walked close together but not quite touching. They never seemed to touch.

"Really?" Hardy is amused, " You hide it so well. " 

Katie sees Ellie pull a face at his back as they disappear off round the corner. Another exchange to be dissected later, but her attention was drawn to one name in particular on the list of party goers that Ellie had given her. Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!

Katie made sure that she had achieved everything she could for the day. A miracle really given that most of her attention had been taken up by the one name on the list highlighted in orange. What should she do? Tell Hardy? She dismissed that idea, she'd be taken off the case. She didn't want her run in's with Ellie to be noted down on her probation form for HR. She needed more time to prove herself. The internal debate she had with herself lasted for the rest of her work day. Hardy and Ellie had holed up in his office after Trish Winterman's abrupt exit from her ABE interview, a low murmur of their voices was all that could be heard. 

The team working the case were left to get on with their allocated tasks, one by one they took their leave, Katie took the opportunity to make her exit, having made her decision. She left the CID bullpen with a surreptitious glance in the direction of Hardy's office, the blinds not fully closed. Hardy could be seen leaning against the back of his chair, twiddling his glasses in his fingers whilst Ellie was slumping lower into the sofa. They looked as if they would be settled there for some time.

A deep breath, giving her the courage to do what she had decided, and a quick walk across the car park, and Katie was knocking on the door of the private quarters of Flintcombe Farm Shop.

"Hi Dad, I need to talk to you about something, just between us. Can I come in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and commenting, I'm really enjoying writing this, a complete departure for me. Hope you stick with it, even though you know what's going to happen!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie makes a decision that has far reaching affects. He behaviour doesn't get any better in meetings but she has found a friendly ear.

You're the only one who really knew me at all.

"I wasn't expecting to see you tonight." Nonetheless Ed Burnett was pleased to see his daughter. Their decade-long estrangement had been painful for him, as has been the ending of his marriage and the death of his wife, but he had moved on and he hoped Katie was as willing to rebuild their relationship as he was.

" Can I get you a drink? " He moved into his kitchen to put the kettle on. There's something about Katie tonight that's restless and ill at ease.

"Yes please," Katie sits on the edge of the sofa, her nerves barely under control. She sat in her jacket looking tense and upset.

Ed put the mug on the coffee table in front of her and sits in his arm chair and waited for her to speak. When she doesn't he feels the need to fill the silence. " How's your new job going? "

Katie's carefully sipped her tea, she seemed to deflate under his steady gaze.

"It's not going so good Dad." She lowered her eyes, unwilling to cry in front of him.

" Right, " Ed really didn't know what to say. Katie had only been in Broadchurch for a few weeks, what could have gone wrong?

"Are you, ... Are you working on...?" He couldn't finish that sentence. 

" Yeah, but that's not it. Well not entirely. "

"What is it then?" 

" I just keep messing up. I can't say the right thing. Whatever I do it doesn't seem to be enough. I'm not being noticed, Dad. " She stated into her mug, lost in the memory of the dreadful Gold meeting.

Ed regarded his daughter with affection. She had always needed attention and validation as a little girl, always a child who wanted to be front and centre. Always wanted to be praised and feted. Things hadn't changed much in the last ten years it seemed.

"And what does your boss say?" He asked gently, correctly guessing that now was not the time to voice his observations .

"Hardy? He's too busy with the case."

Ed nodded, " He came into the shop yesterday to see Cath. Abrupt bastard if you ask me. The woman with him seemed nice though. Well if you can be...being Police and all? " He chuckled at his own joke.

Katie looked up sharply.

"I didn't mean you. You know what I meant."

" She's the worst, Ellie bloody Miller. Thinks she's queen of the bloody station! "

" And that's what you want to be? "

"What? No! I..." she swallowed back her tears of frustration and annoyance, " I just want to get on with my job and make my mark without her pulling me up for something every five minutes! "

Ed sat back in his chair, carefully considering what he should say. He wanted to be sympathetic but suspected that for the first time in her life his daughter was being taken down a peg or two and she didn't like it. 

"Have you spoken to any of your colleagues? What do they say?"

" Only Steve, he's a DC been there for about five years. He seems to know what's going on...seems to be a fan of Ellie's. Says that her and Hardy used to have massive arguments when he was here before during the Latimer case... "

"Hold on a minute? That Ellie Miller?" Ed now remembered where he knew her from. The Latimer case and the trial had been big news.

Katie carried on with her own train of thought, "Oh and Soco Brian reckons she's taming Hardy. He's her little puppy already! "

"He didn't seem very tame to me. Are you sure you've got this right? From the brief look at them I saw they seemed professional, a team."

" Oh they're that alright. " Katie shook herself physically as well as metaphorically. This wasn't why she had come to see him.

"Listen Dad, you went to that party on Saturday night?"

Ed nodded gravely.

" Do you know who it was that was assaulted? "

Again Ed nodded, his eyes glistening as he thought of Trish.

"I need you to promise me you had nothing to do with it! You didn't, did you?"

" Of course I bloody didn't! I like Trish, she's worked for me for years! What sort of a man do you think I am? I would never do that to any woman, let alone Trish! " He was really upset now. "Why did that have to happen to her? She's not the kind of woman this happens to."

"I know Dad, honestly. I'm working on the party guest list. Better me ask you this...I'm sorry I had to make sure."

Katie started the following day in a better frame of mind than when she had left her desk in the CID bullpen the night before. She was as sure as sure as she could be that her Dad wasn't involved in the assault on Trish Winterman, and it has helped just talking to him about the situation at work. It wasn't like he could offer her any insights into her two senior colleagues, but having someone to vent her frustrations to did help. 

She took Steve's words regarding her behaviour in meetings to heart or at least she tried to. This time she sat demurely, alert as usual, but determined not to show herself up. She'd had good intentions even if she couldn't control her internal monologue from escaping her mouth unbidden. Listening to Hardy telling the team about the text threat received by Trish the previous night, Katie nodded away, taking in his words, and rather enjoying his Scottish brogue if truth be told. 

If only he hadn't said that Ellie had Trish's phone . Her reaction to Ellie was almost becoming Pavlovian at this point. Katie couldn't help herself from commenting " Helpful of her!" in response to Hardy telling them that Trish was not willing to tell them who she had had sex with the morning of the party. 

Did she really deserve Hardy's, "You know what Harford I'm not in the mood for your noise this morning!" ? And the sheer exasperation with which he shouted at her. Her colleagues glanced at each other until she had the sense to apologise. Seemed like they agreed with him.

Her interruption had the opposite effect than she wanted to achieve. She had managed to throw Hardy off his train of thought, of course referring back to Ellie for further information that they had gleaned from the ABE interview. Why did he rely on her so much?

Who knew that a condom wrapper could provide even a modicum of salvation? The one left at the scene did. It enabled Katie to show what she had discovered. She basked briefly in Hardy's treating her as a competent member of the team, Steve was right, this is what Hardy liked. He had put her in charge of the summary board, so he must have some belief in her abilities? Right?

"He doesn't like me does he?" The question was out of her mouth to Ellie who was passing on her way to her desk, before she could stop herself.

Ellie looked down on Katie witheringly, "It's not about you. He's worried and he's tired. And he cares."

" Well he doesn't have to bite my head off though does he? I never said he doesn't care. " Katie looked past Ellie to where Hardy was putting on his jacket in his office.

"I think he's been very tolerant of you as it happens...Look, he cares so much it hurts him. So the best thing for us all to do is get this bastard! Right!?"

Ellie did not get to tell Katie what she would do if she was insubordinate to her if she was running the briefing on her own. She was saving that up for a more opportune moment.

"Miller! Come on! And the dynamic duo disappeared yet again. Leaving Katie with more to think about than the summary board.

The opportunity arose for Katie to leave the office an hour or so later when Desk Sergeant Bob phoned up that the owner of Axehampton House had phoned in to say that he had put all the CCTV footage of the party onto a memory stick and did they want him to drop it in to the station?

" I'll go, Bob. I could do with some fresh air. " 

The owner of Axehampton House, Arthur Tamworth, seemed a nice man in an old-fashioned kind of way. His reaction to the sexual assault took Katie by surprise. He was genuinely upset, "How's she doing? The lady?"

" She's being looked after, " Katie realised as she was saying it that she sounded clipped and uncaring. She was attempting to be professional but the end result was priggish even to her own ears.

"I'm devastated for her." Arthur's words stayed with her all the way back to the station. 

"An act like this sullies everything. It sullies us all."

This man, whose only connection with the victim was that the attack had happened in his grounds, was so devastated that he intended to hold no more events there after twenty three years. All Katie had done was dehumanize the victim every time she did not call her by her name; judge her for having had sex the morning of her attack and be more concerned about whether she herself was being noticed by her boss and jealous of his partner than to do her job and actually help catch the man responsible.

Katie's epiphany was a painful one. Arthur Tamworth showed more empathy than she herself had. She had been arrogant enough to believe that as a woman she did not need the Sexual Offences training course to have empathy with the victims. But she realised she was wrong. It burned her still that Ellie had pointed that out to a meeting full of colleagues, but she had to admit she had been correct. She realised that she had taken on unconsciously the attitudes that many people had about women who had been sexually assaulted. That they had somehow left themselves open to attack by imbibing alcohol, or that it mattered what their sexual history had been, or what they wore. As her Dad said, there was a certain type of woman who got raped. Until that moment she had only been playing at being a detective. Did she really have it in her to do this job?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Additional Scene Episode 3

Take a look at me now.

"Can I have a word, Sir?" Katie Harford had arrived back from Axehampton House needing to speak to her boss. Determined not to lose the resolve she had built for herself on the drive back to the station.

Hardy and Miller had arrived back from visiting Ed Burnett and questioning Clive Lucas the cab driver.

"What is it Harford? I don't have time for this now". Hardy never bothered to hide his irritation or impatience. He exchanged a look with Miller, who had sat at her desk to quickly catch up on her emails before they left again for their next visit.

Katie looked at Hardy, pleading with him with her eyes. Ellie almost imperceptibly nodded at him, letting him know that he should give some time to Katie and they had a little while before they had to head out again. She mimed making a cuppa and Hardy raised an eyebrow back at her.

" Aye, alright, on you go, " indicating with his head that she could go into his office.He shut the door behind them and sat at his desk.

"What's all this about?" Everything about Hardy made it seem he was always in a hurry, except when he was talking to Ellie, then he seemed to want to linger.

Katie took a steadying breath, " Sir , I wanted to apologise, " Hardy did not respond so she ploughed on, " I'm aware that I have not got off to the best of starts. "

"Oh really? Ten out of ten for self-awareness." 

" Yes Sir, I want to do better. "

"I'm glad to hear it. You could hardly be doing worse. "

"I need your help though Sir."

Hardy raised an eyebrow at his newest recruit. Not many of his officers had the balls to ask him for anything directly. They would usually go through Miller, of this he was perfectly well aware. But it suited him for almost everyone to believe he had no social skills. He did, he just couldn't be bothered most of the time. Miller was the people person in their partnership and he was perfectly content for her to remain so.

"Sir, I need to get booked onto the Sexual Offences course as soon as possible, I wondered if there was anything you could do to make that happen sooner ?" 

Hardy nodded, at least she was correct about that. He opened his email to compose a curt missive to the training co-coordinator to find a place for DC Harford on the next course.

" OK. Anything else? " He knew this wasn't going to be the only thing.

"Sir, I need...I'd like..." She didn't quite know how to phrase her request. 

" I haven't got all day, Harford. Spit it out! "

"Sir I don't know how to get along with DS Miller. Whatever I do or say just..."

Oh Hardy knew alright. Time was it was him perpetually on the wrong side of Ellie Miller. Now their relationship was in the sunny uplands compared to how things once were between them. But this easy truce had been hard won through pain and adversity and occasionally still hung by a thread.

Hardy stared at Harford for a long minute, deciding what to say. He did not want to give too much away, but as team leader he did need to nip this in the bud before it got too far out of hand.

"You know, young people now seem to think they are entitled to everything," he mused, " respect has to be earned. And not just because of rank. "

Katie nodded keenly. Even though Hardly was not generally well liked, he was respected because of the passion he put into his work,the sheer number of hours he put in, his remorseless dedication to tracking down of the truth. Despite his gruff demeanour he was a good leader, no-one was in any doubt he knew what he was doing. She could tell that Ellie thought a lot of him. There had to be something to have earned Ellie's loyalty.

"DS Miller has earned the respect of everyone in this station, a hundred times over. She is the best officer you will ever come across. I was deceived at first by her. I thought she was too much part of this community. Far to chatty and naive," he allowed the corners of his mouth to rise slightly, "but I was wrong. She was inexperienced in major investigation when I first worked with her, but by God she learned fast. What she has dealt with would have buried a lesser person, ( it nearly had buried him, he thought to himself privately), but she has handled it all, better than anyone could have imagined. She is the best partner I've ever had in so many ways. You could learn a lot from her. You should learn from her, in fact..." he got out his phone and composed and sent a quick text. 

Ellie's phoned beeped at Hardy's incoming text, she grinned at the message and held his gaze through his office window. She nodded almost imperceptibly and continued with her emails.

" Do not imagine for one second that Miller and I can solve this on our own. This is not a cop show where the police duo run around solving crimes with help from no-one else. It takes a team. What you do, what you all do is important. We need you to keep following up and feeding us information. He looked out at where Miller was sat tapping away at her keyboard.

"She 's a good influence on me, "Hardy is almost speaking to himself, "she knocks off my hard edges, but I fear I am a bad influence on her." He allowed himself a small grin as the subject of their discussion knocked on his office door with the knuckles of two fingers before poking her head round the door.

" I was just saying to DC Harford that I'm a bad influence on you Miller. "

"Well if I paid attention to you I would fade away 'cause you never let us eat!" She returned with something akin to affection.

"Hey! No time! No you are a good influence on me but I cannot say you can say than about me. " He had reflected on a number of occasions that she had a hard exterior now that she never had when he had first met her. He wondered if she was becoming more like him or if it was due to the shit life had thrown at her. Probably both.

They had almost forgotten that Katie was still in the room.

"Oh how so?" Miller was definitely amused at this   
.  
"You are, and I quote, "never in the mood for swaggery young shits!"

" I didn't get that from you, Sir, to be fair. " 

" I've decided that DC Harford would benefit from your experience so she will be reporting directly to you."

" Sir! " Both women chorussed.

"Harford, from now on in this investigation you will report everything to DS Miller. You will do so in a civil tone and with due respect."

" Yes Sir. " she rose swiftly from her seat, " I'll carry on with the Summary Board. " She turned to see Hardy and Miller exchanging another one of their looks. "Thanks for for your time Sir."

Ellie left the door open behind her, the bullpen was almost empty, she had almost instantly forgotten about Katie, working away on the Summary Board a few feet away, and took a seat on the black leather and extremely uncomfortable sofa opposite Hardy's desk. She said nothing but raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well I needed to do something before you eviscerate her."

" Me Sir? " Ellie asked innocently, allowing her lips to twitch slightly.

"I know this case is getting to you too," he held up his hand to quell her protests , " I'm under pressure to catch this bastard and I need us all pulling in the same direction. "

"I know, but it's not just your responsibility. It's on all of us."

" It is my responsibility, " Hardy reiterated firmly, " to keep Daisy safe, and you. " He let out a long breath and looked at her with those soulful eyes of his.

Ellie held his gaze. " WE will get him! We're good! " She chuckled, "even though half the male population of Broadchurch still seems to be a suspect." 

"That's not funny, Miller."

" I know. Do you think any one of those men could be capable? You said moral compasses break, back when... "

"I don't know. I keep thinking about the psychology and I just can't square it. Murder...well anyone could be pushed over the edge...I've felt it..."

" God knows so have I, " Ellie agreed.

"But to go out and plan something like that..." he shook his head and rubbed his eyes...I don't get it. "

"Of course you don't." She looked across at Hardy affectionately, " I don't know whmuch one of them it is, but I know you would never do anything like that. "

" How do you know? " He caught her gaze and held it.

Ellie looked at him evenly, "Because you are a decent and honourable man. You don't understand it because it would never occur to you to do anything like that."them

Hardy looked as if he was going to protest but Ellie held up a hand to stop him, " I know you wouldn't, and I will not believe otherwise. You might be the only man I trust." She paused, "I wish there were more men out there like you, I mean look at the men we're turning up under their rocks of lies and deceit. They seem to think nothing of cheating on their wives, objectifying women, thinking porn is like real life. You are not like that, and I won't hear another word about it." 

Hardy cleared his throat, moved that Miller had so much faith in him.

"Mind you, you're still a grumpy git, so don't get too up yourself," she laughed.

" How can I with you constantly reminding me? " 

"So how exactly am I a good influence on you Sir?"

**Author's Note:**

> Having recently rewatched all three series of Broadchurch I found myself reading virtually every single fic in the fandom and loving them! During my rewatch I found myself of course shipping Hardy & Miller and interested in Katie Harford's interactions with them. So here's my take hope you enjoy...comments welcome.


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